Cleaning and scouring device



Oct. 27, 1959 G. M. LUNDEEN 2,999,799

CLEANING AND SCOURING DEVICE Filed June 26, 1956 mmvmmmwwnwvwo v 0000 ammmqw mm OOOOOOOOO United States Patent CLEANING AND SCOURING DEVICE Gottfred M. Lundeen, Harris, Minn. Application June 26, 1956, Serial No. 594,059

2 Claims. (Cl. 15-164) This invention relates to cleaning and scouring devices. While not limited thereto, it has particular reference to rotary cleaners designed for cleaning and scouring the interior surfaces of generally cylindrical or tubular rubbery articles. One specific embodiment is a rotary cleaner for the rubber teat cup units used with certain milking machines; and the invention will be described primarily in terms of this embodiment.

The teat cup units of certain milking machines include an enlarged tubular cup portion and a relatively small diameter connector tube portion of approximately the same length, formed of rubber or rubbery 'material. Sanitation requires that these parts be carefully and thoroughly cleaned after each period of use. Bristle brushes are ordinarily employed in such cleaning operations, and are made to fit closely against all the interior surfaces of the cup and tube in an attempt to supply effective brushing and cleaning action.

In many instances, bristle brushes are not fully effective in providing complete removal of residues from the rubber surfaces, and are generally short-lived. This is particularly true where hardened deposits of milk stone are present, and where the tube diameter varies widely, necessitating the use of bristles of substantially different lengths in the same brush. A much more positive action is required in such instances in order to remove the deposits and clean the surface effectively. Care must be exercised, however, in order to prevent cutting, gouging, or scratching of the rubber surface, since a roughened surface on the interior of the cup or tube would increase the possibility of contamination and infection. For this and other reasons, scraper blades and the like have not been found satisfactory, and bristle brushes have therefore been universally employed in spite of their deficiencies.

The present invention overcomes the inadequacies of prior art cleaning implements and provides a new and improved scouring and cleaning device which is sturdy and long-lived as compared to bristle brushes, is capable of removing hardened deposits of milk stone or other materials while avoiding any tendency to cut or gouge the rubber surface, and is itself easily cleaned and maintained in sanitary condition. Other advantages and novel characteristics Will be made apparent in the following description.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a side view of a cleaner constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention and located within a typical teat cup unit of the type mentioned, the latter being indicated in crosssection; and Figure 2 is a cross-section of the cleaner and cup taken at line 22 of Figure 1.

The unitary cleaner of Figure 1 comprises a smaller cylindrical portion 12 fitting within the connector tube portion 13 of the teat cup unit 11, a larger cylindrical portion 14 fitting within the teat cup 15, and a rounded intermediate section 16 fitting within the corresponding section 17 of the unit 11. The surface of the cleaner 2,909,799 Patented Oct.- 27, 1959 2 10 is supplied with a large number of regularly spaced low flattened projections 18, located generally along a spiral path around the circumference of the cleaner. The larger cylinder 14 is here shown as terminating in an enlarged end portion 19 which likewise carries a series of flat-topped projections 20 on the inner face for providing scouring action at the beveled open end of the cup portion 15; however this enlarged portion may be omitted if desired. A handle member 21 completes the rotary cleaner. V I v The end portion 12 and intermediate portion '16 of the cleaner 10 fit tightly within the corresponding portions 13 and 17 of the teat cup unit 11, the surface projections locally distending the rubbery walls of the unit to at least a slight degree. The cleaner is rotated inside the unit by means of the handle member 21, forming the exposed portion of a central shaft 22 on which the cleaner is mounted. The teat cup portion of the unit being cleaned is held fast in the hand as the cleaner is rotated therein, the squeezing action required in holding the cup being suflicient to press its flexible wall into effective contact with the surfaces of the projections on the section 14 of the cleaner. Since the milk' normally contacts the interior walls of the intermediate section 17 and connector section 13 only, the somewhat lesser scouring action thus provided in the cup section, 15 is fully adequate. v a j j The individual projections 18-are of suitable diameter, and are so spaced along their spiral paths that the path of each overlaps a considerable portion of the paths of the spirally next adjacent projections as the cleaner is rotated. Thus the entire inner surface of the unit 11 is scrubbed during rotation of the cleaner.

Cylindrical projections are illustrated and are preferred as being most readily formed and cleaned; but projections having an angular rather than a circular flat top surface are also useful and are contemplated. In all cases the flat tops of the projections provide for sharp edges which are capable of effectively scouring and cleaning the interior walls of the teat cup unit or other rubbery tubular article for which the cleaner may be designed; while the close spacing and moderate height of the projections aids in preventing scratching or gouging of the flexible rubbery surface. Analogous structure in flattened rather than generally cylindrical form is similarly effective in the hand-scouring of fiat surfaces.

The space between projections, and the height of each projection, is sufficient to permit entry of soap-suds or other cleaning or disinfecting solution in adequate quantity and to permit accumulation of scrapings of milk stone or other foreign material during the cleaning operation, but is not so great as to permit the walls of the cup unit to contact the surface of the cylinder between said projections.

Although the cleaner illustrated is designed to fit tightly within the segments of the rubbery cup unit where scouring is most necessary, to the extent of elastically distending such segments so as to ensure firm and effective contact between the rubber walls and the projections, it is found that the cleaner may be rotated within the unit with surprising ease. Such rotation, in the presence of suitable liquid cleansers, is found to break up and rapidly remove all hardened deposits and to ensure fully sanitary conditions within the unit.

The entire body of the cleaner is preferably formed of hard but resilient plastic material; nylon, ethyl cellulose, and cellulose acetate-butyrate plastics are exemplary. Such material is sufliciently hard and strong to scrape away all deposits of milk-stone or the like from rubber teat-cup units, and is also effectively water-resistant and easily maintained in sanitary condition. Other materials may be more effective in other applications.

My rotary cleaner device may be modified in size and shape to apply to various tubular articles other than teat cups which may require scraping and cleaning; and the materials employed, and the size, shape and distribution of the projections 18 may likewise be modified as desired for these and other alternative uses.

What I claim is as follows:

1. A unitary teat cup and tube cleaner comprising, in order: a smaller diameter cylindrical portion, a rounded intermediate portion, a larger diameter hard rigid cylindrical portion, an enlarged forwardly rounded end portion, and a terminal handle member; the exposed outer surfaces of the first three of said portions and the forwardly rounded surface of said end portion being provided with rows of closely regularly spaced, low, flattened, rigid, sharp-edged cleaning-projections arranged in generally overlapping spiral paths, the said smaller diameter and intermediate portions being of a size and shape conforming closely to the inner surfaces of the slightly elastically extended corresponding connectortube and intermediate sections, and said forwardly rounded surface conforming to the beveled open end, of an elastomeric teat cup unit as herein described, and said handle member providing for rotation of said cleaner within said unit.

2. A unitary teat cup and tube cleaner comprising, in order: a smaller diameter cylindrical portion, a convex intermediate portion, a larger diameter hard rigid cylindrical portion, an enlarged forwardly rounded end portion, and a terminal handle member; the exposed outer surfaces of the first three of said portions and the forwardly rounded surface of said end portion being provided with a large number of regularly spaced, low, rigid, cylindrical cleaning-projections each having a sharpedged circular flat top surface, said projections being arranged in generally spiral paths and being of suitable diameter and spacing as to overlap in each instance a considerable portion of the path of the spirally next adjacent projection as the cleaner is rotated by said handle member; the said smaller diameter and intermediate portions being of a size and shape conforming closely to the inner surfaces of the slightly elastically extended corresponding connector-tube and intermediate sections, and said forwardly rounded surface conforming to the beveled open end, and said larger diameter portion being slightly smaller in diameter than the tubular body portion respectively, of an elastomeric teat cup unit as herein described; and said handle member pro viding for rotation of said cleaner within said unit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 616,696 Cochran Dec. 27, 1898 1,837,484 Reimer Dec. 22, 1931 2,051,834 Fabrey Aug. 25, 1936 2,095,823 Marshall Oct. 12, 1937 2,333,801 Lowston Nov. 9, 1943 2,334,690 Yden Nov. 23, 1943 2,727,269 Dauer Dec. 20, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 352,274 Great Britain July 9, 1931 

